Herb Koch

In its 60 years the Loretto Fire Department (LFD) has had five fire chiefs. Herb Koch was the fifth, and now former assistant chief Jeff Leuer is the sixth.

LFD firefighters elected Leuer to replace Koch as of Jan. 1. Chief Leuer is in charge of 29 firefighters serving five cities - Greenfield, Corcoran, Independence, Medina and Loretto. He also is public works director for the city of Loretto.

About the new fire chief, Koch noted that Leuer served under him as assistant chief for nine years and on the fire department for 15 years.

"I think Jeff will do a great job," Koch said. "He is around during the day and that's important. He's a good fire ground leader. With the people he has to work with, everything will go great."

"I'm retiring from the title because I've done it for so long. I feel like I'm still valuable to the organization," Koch said. But now it's time for less responsibility for him and fresh ideas for Loretto Fire.

He added, "I felt the organization was in good shape for making a change. We have no debt, no loans. The next generation can pick and choose their projects."

"It's a huge privilege to say you've been the Loretto fire chief, when there's only been a handful of them over the years," said Koch.

He pointed to a plaque at the Loretto Fire Station that displays the names of Loretto fire chiefs and the dates they began to serve - Hugh Schmidt (1948), Arnold Klaers (1949), Ken Van Beusekom (1972), Bob Van Beusekom (1983) and Herb Koch (1996).

Koch spent 29 years wearing a white helmet - 13 years as chief, 16 years as assistant chief. He joined the LFD on Feb. 1, 1979. He served for only 10 months as firefighter before taking on assistant chief duties.

He attributed his rapid rise in the LFD to his living and working in Loretto, thus making him available during the day. And he was around the department a lot helping as the new fire station was being built on County Rd. 19.

The old fire station was located next to the Choo Choo Restaurant and Bar, and Koch is the only current firefighter who once served in the old firehouse. If asked, Koch can provide 30 years of fire department history.

"It's going to be different just to be a firefighter," he said. "First you get in the fire department. Then the fire department gets in you. It gets in your blood. It's hard to step down."

Jeff Leuer

Commenting on the many responsibilities of the fire chief, he said, "You feel dedicated. I don't know how else you would do it."

Somehow his dedication spread to his wife Shelly, who became the LFD's first woman firefighter in 1998. When their pagers went off, they both had to leave home or work. And Shelly had to call family, friends and neighbors to watch their five children.

Asked about his achievements as chief, Koch said, "The fire chief is only one person. All you are is the leader. Firefighters - they make it. Our organization is great because of what everybody does."

He continued, "I feel we have the best department you can have for a town this size. We're a first class organization. We're very well respected. We're a small department, and we've been able to take it to the next level."

He described his motto, "I wanted Loretto Fire to make the situation better than when we arrived."

Then he explained that the littlest things can make a difference. People at a fire scene are having a bad day. Sometimes, holding someone's hand helps him or her. Or maybe, the victim of a fire needs someone to call a relative or friend.

"When I took over as chief, everything was fine," Koch said. "As times change more things become available. You've got to implement them."

He improved the LFD's organizational structure by adding safety and medical officers. Then he assigned portable radios to all of his officers.

As chief, Koch also stressed safety - making sure firefighters got what they needed to help them. He made training more accessible to local fire fighters by having training sessions offered in Loretto.

Koch ranks upgrading of equipment as major achievements. Under his leadership, the LFD purchased three new fire engines to replace out dated ones. Since the LFD is a private organization it had to raise $247,000 for a 1996 main line pumper - the first truck out of the station. The price of the pumper/tanker purchased in 2000 jumped to $353,000, and that meant more fund raising. A 3,000-gallon tanker purchased in 2007 is the newest Loretto engine.

After the 9/11 terrorist attacks, the LFD got a FEMA grant for upgrading its air packs. And Loretto joined the 800-megahertz radio system so it could communicate with other emergency management agencies in Hennepin County. A simulated disaster in Loretto helped a number of area agencies learn how to communicate with each other using the 800-megahertz radios.

The most memorable actual emergencies for Koch included two large fires at storage condominiums in Corcoran, a recent tornado and the house explosion in Corcoran that killed Dan Johnson.

Koch may be stepping down as fire chief, but he is continuing his leadership roles with Loretto's parks, Loretto town ball, the North Star baseball league and the Loretto Community Athletic Association. He has played town ball for 33 years.

He works in Loretto at Yocum Oil, a bulk distributor of oil, gas and home heating oil.

New chief Leuer said about Koch, "He's been a great leader and mentor to follow. His knowledge has been a real asset to me in achieving what I've achieved. I appreciate his remaining on the department as a firefighter. He is providing a seamless transition from his to future eras."